By Susan Kelly

Medtronic reported a surprising 59 percent boost in second-quarter profit Tuesday, as increased sales of implantable heart devices defied reports of weakening demand from competitors.

Medtronic, the world's largest medical device maker, reports earnings for the second fiscal quarter of 2010 on Tuesday. The following is a summary of key developments and analyst opinion for the last period.

A UBS analyst said Wednesday that medical technology stocks are trading at attractive prices, and raised his ratings or price targets on nine of them.

Stocks rallied Monday, after a wobbly start, as investors were optimistic about the slew of earnings ahead.

Stocks rallied Monday, after a wobbly start, as techs dragged but investors were optimistic about the slew of earnings ahead.

Stocks moved higher Monday, after a wobbly start, as techs dragged but investors were optimistic about the slew of earnings ahead.

Good news for a Monday morning: stock index futures are pointing to a modestly higher open this morning, rather than what happened exactly 22 years ago today - the infamous crash of 1987. 

Stocks logged their best quarter in 11 years, helped  by the weak dollar, despite today's soft landing.

The Food and Drug Administration is awarding $2 million to spur the development of medical devices for children, who face increased risks during surgery because so few implants are designed for their use.

A late rally pushed stocks higher Tuesday following better-than-expected earnings from several Dow components. The Dow logged its seventh-straight gain, the Nasdaq, it's tenth.

The Dow advanced Tuesday as a slew of components beat earnings expectations. But there were pockets of weakness throughout the market, including chips, hardware, banks and retail. The Nasdaq was lower.

The Dow bolted out of the gate Tuesday as a slew of components beat earnings expectations. But there were pockets of weakness throughout the market, including chips, hardware, banks and retail. The Nasdaq was lower.

Futures indicated a slightly lower open for Wall Street Tuesday ahead of a slew of earnings and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's Capitol Hill testimony.

Stocks rallied to the finish line Monday after a wobbly morning as a CIT deal to avert bankruptcy and strong earnings gave investors cause for optimism.